National Social Services Program for Filipino Youth

The Decree recognizes the State’s responsibility to protect the young, enable them to survive and develop, and help them assume responsibilities as citizens for self-fulfillment and happiness.
The Decree points to the constitutional mandate and to Presidential Decree No. 603 requiring operational services to be installed by both public and private agencies.
The Decree directs that its operational network and unified system will ensure the child and youth service delivery system under Presidential Decree No. 603.

Section 1 mandates that programs, services, and strategies be geared toward strengthening the family as the basic social institution for developing children and youth, with emphasis on unity and socio-economic stability.
Section 1 requires integration of religious and cultural values in all services for families, children, and youth.
Section 1 requires maximizing responsible participation by youth in planning, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation.
Section 1 requires linkages with economic and industrial sectors so services form part of the national economic development program.
Section 1 requires development and availability of substitute parental care for children and youth who cannot be served in their own homes.
Section 1 requires establishing on the regional level detention centers for youth offenders and rehabilitation centers for children and youth with special needs.

Section 2 mandates that the Department of Social Services and Development establish a comprehensive operational network under its administrative machinery.
Section 2 requires the Department to implement a unified system to ensure the child and youth service delivery system under Presidential Decree No. 603.
Section 2 requires the unified system to foster coordination and collaboration among agencies at all levels.
Section 2 requires that establishment of the operational network and unified system be done “as soon as possible” for proper service delivery.

Programs under Section 1 must strengthen families as the primary social institution supporting children and youth development.
Services under Section 1 must integrate religious and cultural values into service delivery for families, children, and youth.
Youth programs under Section 1 must be designed to maximize youth’s responsible participation across the entire cycle: planning, decision-making, implementation, and evaluation.
Section 1 requires linkages with economic and industrial sectors so the services align with the national economic development program.
Section 1 requires substitute parental care to be developed and made available for children and youth unable to be served in their own homes.
Section 1 requires regional detention centers for youth offenders and regional rehabilitation centers for children and youth with special needs.

The Decree is directed toward a national program for social services and development for Filipino children and youth.
The Decree’s stated priority covers children and youth below 21 years of age, with special priority for those belonging to families earning less than the subsistence level.
The family-focused service approach in Section 1 targets families as the basic social institution for child and youth development.

Section 3 makes the Decree immediately effective upon issuance.
Section 2 directs the Department to implement the operational network and unified system to achieve proper service delivery coordination and collaboration.
Section 1 provides the guiding purposes that must be used to gear programs, services, and strategies for children and youth.